Macbeth vs. Romeo – Compare and Contrast Essay

Some people say that a person’s fate is pre-determined. That nothing they do in life is by accident and everything that one does has been decided by a higher power. In Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare explores the theme of fate by allowing the audience to be party to his characters’ destiny. In the opening lines of the play the audience is told what is going to happen to the lovers, “a pair of star-crossed lovers take their life.” Throughout the story, the audience is put in an omnipotent, god-like position from the start encouraging them to think about fate and to what extent our actions are free. In Macbeth, the idea of one character becoming both victim and villain is introduced. Macbeth falls prey to others' deception, and is supplanted with greed and hate when three witches trick him. When told that he is going to be King of Scotland, Macbeth does whatever he can to ensure his property. In Macbeth's quest for power, he gains a flaw that ends in a deteriorated relationship with Lady Macbeth, and his eventual defeat. While comparing Romeo from Romeo and Juliet and Macbeth from Macbeth, with regards to their relationships with friends, their ambition and the fate in their lives, one discovers that both characters are very alike, but Macbeth is seen as a more harsh and greedy person than Romeo.
We tend to connect in different ways with our family and friends. Relationships in all parts of our lives contribute to our well-being. Through our relationships, we are sustained in our personal growth and development. Although both Romeo and Macbeth started off with strong relationships with their friends, only Romeo managed to keep his strong bonds with his friends until his death. Whereas Macbeth, who killed his friends to achieve what he eventually lost, the position of King of Scotland. Romeo, throughout the play has kept strong relationships with his friends and family and his friends have shown the same feeling that Romeo shows towards them. For example, Mercutio's